Strangers in a Strange Land
by My blue rose
Summary: "It is said that Amandil set sail in a small ship at night, and steered first eastward, and then went about and passed into the west. And he took with him three servants, dear to his heart, and never again were they heard of by word or sign in this world, nor is there any tale or guess of their fate." This is the tale of what happened to Amandil's embassy.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Gathering Gloom**

_'The days are dark, and there is no hope for Men, for the Faithful are few. Therefore I am minded to try that counsel which our forefather Eärendil took of old, to sail into the West..., and to speak to the Valar, even to Manwë__ himself, if may be, and beseech his aid ere all is lost.'  
_

_'Would you then betray the King?' said Elendil. 'For you know well the charge that they make against us, that we are traitors and spies, and that until this day it has been false.'__  
_

_'If I thought that Manwë needed such a messenger,' said Amandil, 'I would betray the King. For there is but one loyalty from which no man can be absolved in heart for any cause. But it is for mercy upon Men and their deliverance from Sauron the Deceiver that I would plead, since some at least have remained faithful. And as for the Ban, I will suffer in myself the penalty, lest all my people should become guilty.'_

_-The Silmarillion_, _Akallabêth_

**5th of ****Víresse**** in the ****Year 3316 of the Second Age:**

The sky was iron gray and the air was filled with water droplets that were too small to be rain but too large to be fog. The sun would be setting soon—not that one could tell. The ocean billowed as if a giant had dropped a stone in its depths, sending roll after roll of water at the little ship. Leaning over the side of the boat, griping the gunwales tightly, Daiki willed his stomach to settle. He hated sailing. Not for the first time, he wondered what madness had convinced him to join Lord Amânzîr in this endeavor.

_Because you need at least four to sail this ship and I haven't got any family to leave behind…_

The answering thought was bitter and Daiki shoved away the emotions that came with it. After a few moments, he lost the battle with his stomach and vomited over the side of the ship. He felt a hand rubbing circles on his back and looked up to see the wrinkled face of Abârôn, Lord Amânzîr manservant and Daiki's mentor, crouched beside him. He smiled weakly at the Man whose grey hair was cropped short in the manner of servants, just like his own.

"Drink,"

Abârôn handed him a water skin. After wiping his mouth, he did so, trying to ignore the taste of the water which had picked up the flavor of the wooden barrel it had been stored in. Daiki knew he had become spoiled living in Lord Amânzîr estate just outside Rómenna. There was a spring on the property and he had forgotten what it was like to drink water that did not taste fresh.

"You need to drink more, else you will get sick," Abârôn said as Daiki handed him the water skin.

Daiki nodded but could not bring himself to drink anymore of the stale water. From the aft of the ship, a tall Man came towards them with long sure strides, even on the pitching ship. His face was unlined but not young, with a large nose that prevented him from being truly hansom. The Man's beard was trimmed short and his dark hair was drawn back in a single braid, sailor fashion. He was barefoot and naked from the waist up with his arms crossed across his chest. He would have looked imposing if he had not been smiling broadly.

"You should not mother the boy so much, Abârôn. He's almost a man now," He said.

"Bârhên Azruzôr, it seems you have misplaced you tunic once again. Shall I get you a new one, ere you catch your death of cold?" Abârôn's voice was dry and he squeezed Daiki's shoulder before straitening, fastidiously smoothing his white tunic. Lord Azruzôr grimaced.

"I take it back. You may mother the boy all you like, provided you do not mother me!" Lord Azruzôr winked at Daiki.

"Here lad, I bought this ere we left. Thought you might have need of it," he held out a ceramic jar that had been sealed with wax.

"It's pickled ginger. I remembered you liked it and I thought I would help settle your stomach."

Daiki was suspired that Lord Azruzôr remembered that he liked pickled ginger. He had told the Man that years ago after a disastrous fishing trip. He was also touched by Lord Azruzôr's kindness. Pickled ginger had been common fare in his homeland on the shores of Azûlzâin but it was rare in Númenor. It must have been expensive.

Daiki liked Lord Azruzôr, even if he drove Abârôn mad. Lord Azruzôr was the youngest child of Lord Amânzîr's sister. He had inherited the love of the Sea that many of the Lords of Númenor had possessed but unlike them, he was mostly known for his cheerful insouciance. It was his ship, the Azrukarbu, they were sailing and he had built it himself.

"Thank you, Bârhên." Daiki said, giving a bow that was shaky due to the roll of the ship. Lord Azruzôr waved his hand dismissively.

"None of that, now. How many times have I said that it's impossible to run a ship with Men bowing all over the place?

"Often enough, I am sure," a Man a hand taller than Lord Azruzôr had emerged from below deck. It was Lord Amânzîr.

He was hansom with a neatly trimmed beard and sharp eyes, grey as the morning mist. His temples were gray but the rest of his raven hair was not worn loose about his shoulders, as was custom among the Lords of Númenor, but was drawn back in a single braid in the fashion of mariner's. He wore the same black woolen breeches we all did but his tunic was not of the white linen that Abârôn and I wore. Lord Amânzîr's tunic was midnight blue and made of silk with silver embroidery at the hem and cuffs.

"Did you sleep well, Uncle?" Lord Azruzôr was steering the ship during the day with Daiki as his help while Lord Amânzîr, whom as nearly as good a seaman as his nephew, would guild the ship at night with Abârôn.

"We made good time again, today," Lord Azruzôr continued, not giving his Uncle time to answer his question.

"Twelve knots. If this wind keeps through the night, we should see the Enchanted Isles on the morrow. Three hundred and forty leagues in a fortnight. It is good timing. Almost _too _good. Maybe the Bârun Anazra and Bârun Abawîba are taking pity on us, eh?" Lord Azruzôr grinned.

"We can but hope," Lord Amânzîr replied quietly.

Daiki looked to the West in the fading light and saw nothing but the Sea. They had set sail from the harbor at Rómenna and headed East for a day before turning south and angling West, heading for where the elven ships were known to pass on their way to Tol Eressëa. They wanted to skirt the Lonely Island to the south but there were no accurate maps to be found in Númenor detailing with the seas around Tol Eressëa or how to pass the Enchanted Isles that barred the way.

As Lord Azruzôr said, they would burn that bridge when they came to it.

* * *

**Dramatis Personae:**

**Amânzîr:** Amandil's name in Andunaic (over 400 years old)

**Azruzôr:** Amandil's sister's youngest child (204 years old)

**Abârôn**: Amandil's manservant of 60 years (78 years old)

**Daiki: **Amandil's manservant in training (22 years old)

**Andûnaic Glossary: **

**Abârôn**: Fidelity, endurance

**Azrukarbu:** Sea Stallion

**Azûlzâin:** Middle-earth; Endorë (lit: [the] East Lands)

**Azruzôr:** Sea Flame

**Bârhên:** My Lord

**Bârim****hên:** My Lords

**Bârun**** Abawîba:** Lord of the Winds (Manwe)

**Bârun**** Anazra:** Lord of the Sea (Ulmo)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Dark Dreams**

_Nonetheless for long it seemed to the __Númenóreans__that they prospered, and if they were not increased in happiness, yet they grew __more strong, and their rich men ever richer. For with the aid and counsel of Sauron they multiplied their possessions, and they devised engines, and they built ever greater ships. And they sailed now with power and armory to Middle-earth, and they came no longer as bringers of gifts, nor even as rulers, but as fierce men of war. And they hunted the men of Middle-Earth and took their goods and enslaved them, and many they slew cruelly upon their altars. For they built in their fortresses temples and great tombs in those days; and men feared them, and the memory of the kindly Kings of the ancient days faded from the world and was darkened by many a tale of dread._

_- The Silmarillion_, _Akallabêth_

**5th of ****Víresse**** in the ****Year 3316 of the Second Age:**

Daiki climbed the ladder that led below deck. He descended into the large room that served as the galley and common room. He sat down at the large table that was bolted to the floor. He did not feel up to eating anything other than the pickled ginger and ignored the kettle of soup that was on the small stove in the fore of the ship. Using his belt dagger, he scraped off the wax that sealed the jar.

The pierced tin lantern overhead swayed with the ship sending shadows racing along the walls. Daiki sniffed the now open jar and was filled with an overwhelming memory of home: He was sitting on the floor in the small house that he lived in with his mother, grandparents and little sister, dipping a piece of pickled ginger into a shallow bowl full of rice vinegar.

Tears burned at the corner of his eyes as he used the dagger to fish dripping pieces of pickled ginger out of the jar. He chewed slowly, savoring the tang. He decided not to finish the whole jar in case he felt sick tomorrow again. Covering the jar with a clean cloth, he put it in one of the many cupboards that lined the walls the room. Then he made his way to the aft of the ship where there were two small cabins. The starboard one was LordAmânzîr's and LordAzruzôr's while the port one he shared withAbârôn.

The room was dark inside, for there was no lantern. Daiki made his way to the bed that was set into the right wall by feel. He should have changed out of his tunic at least but he did not feel like doing so. After the ginger, the pitching of the ship felt more like the rocking of a cradle rather than the inside a butter churn. As his tears dried on his face, the gentle motion lulled him to sleep.

That night he dreamed…

**0-0-0-0-0**

**12th**** the ****Nárië**** in the ****Year 3309 of the Second Age:**

Daiki carefully helped his Grandfather lower a barrel of salt onto their family's small fishing boat from the deserted pier. They were preparing for the day's work and would soon be trolling along the coast with their nets for herring. Daiki noticed that his Grandfather frequently glanced at the three great warships that seem to fill their small village harbor. They were the Sea King's ships and they were here to collect this year's tribute.

It was said that when the Sea Kings first came to these shores many hundreds of years ago, they gave the people their knowledge and wisdom freely. They taught them how to increase the yield of the rice harvests and how to treat and cure many illnesses. It was said they gave them the secret of turning iron into steel and the knowing of letters, that people might write down what is said so it is not forgotten.

Daiki is not sure if he believes that the Sea Kings were ever benevolent.

For several hundred years, the Sea Kings had levied heavy tributes in gold. It is because of this that the taxes in all the towns and villages along the cost were so high and, like most families, Daiki's struggles to pay them and still have enough to eat every day. It has gotten worse in the past forty years. Before, when a town or village failed to pay their tribute, they were allowed to make it up the next year but now, if the required tribute is not meet, the Sea King's warships come and take the strongest men and women as slaves. They were the fortunate ones, for others were burnt on altars to the Sea King's dark god.

Daiki's Father had been one of them.

He had been seven when the village had failed to pay the yearly tribute. He remembered the soldiers in bright armor coming to their house and dragged his Father away. He had not seen what happened himself but his Grandfather had gone with the soldiers and had been forced to watch his son burned alive. After that day, his Grandfather was never the same. The kindly old man who had often smiled and teased him became grimfaced and bitter.

Daiki thought the worst thing was that his younger sister barely remembered their Father and she did not at all remember a time when their Grandfather was lighthearted and encouraging. His eleven years old sister, Ami, received the brunt of his Grandfather's harshness and seldom did a day go by in which she was not scolded for something.

"Daiki!"

Jolted from his thoughts, he turned to see his Grandfather staring at the warships. There were Men in armor disembarking from the ships onto the docks; long planks of wood were being used as ladders because the ships were so tall their port openings did not reach the docks. Daiki swallowed nervously as his Grandfather face darkened. The village had given the Captain of the largest ship the gold yesterday. The Sea King's Men should have been preparing to leave—not disembarking!

"Daiki!" He turned to see his Grandfather looking at him, his wrinkled, weather-beaten face was face frightened, and that scared Daiki even more. He could not remember ever seeing his Grandfather afraid before.

"Daiki, stay with the boat. I am going to get the women," Daiki knew he meant his Grandmother, Mother and Ami, whom were working in the garden outside the house today. He nodded, heart clenching in his chest. He wanted to go with his Grandfather but knew from the look on his face that he would not be allowed.

He did as he was told. He checked the sail to see if it was sound and that there were no rips in the cloth. There weren't. He ran his hands over the hull of the boat for cracks. He found none. He even went over their nets, though they did that every night, to look for tears. As he expected, he did not find any. Daiki looked at the sun to see how much time had passed. Grandfather should have been back by then. The docks were only a short walk from their house.

He heard screams coming from the village and, looking out from the boat, he could people running. Should he go to his house? Maybe Grandfather was leading his Mother, Grandmother and Sister towards the mountains away from the sea and the soldiers. If that was so, then he should stay because there would be no way he would find them until the soldiers left. Daiki debated with himself for several long moments, then jumped out of the boat and ran toward his village.

He did not make it past the first row of buildings before a small group of solders found him. Before he could run or fight or do anything, the one on the left drew a saber and struck him on the head with the flat of the blade. His vision blurred and the last thing Daiki thought before he slipped into darkness was how blue the sky looked.

He awoke in pitch blackness, his head throbbing with every heart beat. He groaned and his voice was not the only one in the darkness. He found he was lying on a hard wooden surface and when he tried to move and found that his wrists and ankles were fettered to his bed so he could hardly move. He panicked and thrashed about, trying to loosen his bonds. The Men chained next to him protested and he subsided having achieved nothing but making his headache worse.

He would later realize that he was in the hold of a ship, but the blow to his head had addled his wits and for some days afterward he would awaken and believe himself to be in the belly of a whale or some other sea creature. Twice a day the door to the hold would be open and Daiki and the other prisoner would be given water and bread.

Daiki had never had bread before. He and his family ate mostly rice with some buckwheat noodles occasionally, and the hard wheat rolls felt like lead in his stomach and he often vomited them back up. The bad food also gave him the runs and he was forced to lay in his own filth as his watery bowl movements ran down his legs. He was thirsty all the time and plagued by ill dreams where he saw his Grandparents, Mother and Sister burned upon a black stone altar.

He later learned that he must have been on the slave ship for three weeks because that is how long it takes to sail from Númenor to his village in fair weather. But at the time Daiki thought that he had been on the ship for many months. The days seemed to blur into each other and Daiki soon lost track of the time. All the days were the same: Bad food, little water and the constant rolling of the ship. The worst was the darkness that only lessened when Men with candles brought them their rations. Then one day, something different happened.

After he and the other prisoner had been given food and water, the Men with the candles undid the chains that ran through their irons. Daiki found himself hoisted upright and dragged out with the other prisoners onto the deck of the ship. After being unable to stand for so long, Daiki was unsteady on his feet and the unfamiliar brightness of sun blinded him. He staggered around with the others as buckets of cold soapy water were thrown on them. His eyes had finally adjusted to daylight again and he saw the hazy green of coastline off the starboard side of the ship.

Without truly thinking, Daiki ran as fast as he could toward the edge of the ship and, before anyone could stop him, threw himself overboard.

* * *

**Dramatis Personae:**

**Amânzîr:** Amandil's name in Andunaic (over 400 years old)

**Azruzôr:** Amandil's sister's youngest child (204 years old)

**Abârôn**: Amandil's manservant of 60 years (78 years old)

**Daiki: **Amandil's manservant in training (22 years old)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:** **Shadowy Seas**

_And in that time also, which songs call Nurtalë Valinóreva, the Hiding of Valinor, the__ Enchanted Isles__ were set, and all the seas about them were filled with shadows and bewilderment. And these isles were strung as a net in the Shadowy Seas from the north to the south, before Tol Eressëa, the __Lonely__ Isle, is reached by one sailing west. Hardly might any vessel pass between them, for in the dangerous sounds the waves sighed forever upon dark rocks shrouded in mist. And in the twilight a great weariness came upon mariners and a loathing of the sea; but all that ever set foot upon the islands were there entrapped, and slept until the Change of the World._

_- The Silmarillion_, _Quenta Silmarillion_

**5th ****of Cermië ****in the Year 3309 of the Second Age:**

Daiki hit the water hard and the chill of it took his breath away. He had grown up by the sea and was a good swimmer but three weeks of little food had robbed him of his strength. The manacles on his wrists and the shackles on his ankles were heavy and he might have drowned immediately if he had not managed to kick off the shoes he had been wearing. As it was, he had only the strength to float upon the ocean waters.

He was soon caught in a strong current that he would not have been able to swim out of had he been at full strength. To his dismay it was carrying him farther away from shore. He closed his eyes and tried to tell himself that drowning was preferable to whatever had awaited him as a slave. He did not know how long he drifted in the pull of the current as all he was aware of was his ever increasing thirst.

To Daki's utter surprise, he found himself in the arms of another Man. He struggled weakly, not possessing the power to do more. The Man, whom was holding him tightly to his chest with one hand, said something in a language Daiki did not understand. The tone of the words was soothing, however, and he relaxed. He realized that there was a rope around the Man's waist and that they were being pulled.

He did not notice the small ship until he and the Man holding him were hoisted into it and landed dripping in a heap on the deck. He shivered on the wooden deck, surrounded by strange five Men. There was the shirtless Man whom had rescued him, a Man with short grey hair and three Men who look so alike that they must be related. They were all dark haired and grey eyed with noble features dressed in black breeches and white tunics

One was but a boy who looked about ten years old; the two others were both tall but the younger of two was the tallest Man Daiki had ever seen. They were all talking in a strange language that sounded harsh to his ears. Then the tall one removed his tunic and knelt down beside him and wrapped him in the warm fabric. He was lifted up into the Man's arms as if he were a small child, carried below deck and placed in a soft bed.

He was on the ship for two weeks in which the Men succored him. He later learned that the tall Man whom had carried him was named Nimruzîr and that the other Man was his father Amânzîr whom was the 18th Lord of Andûnië. They were on a fishing trip to teach the boy, whom was Nimruzîr's grandson Nimrundur, the craft of the Sea. When they returned to Rómenna, Lord Amânzîr gave Daiki into the care of his manservant Abârôn and paid for him to be tutored in Andunaic and other subjects.

Despite several offers, Daiki never returned to his home too afraid of what he might find.

**0-0-0-0-0**

**6th of Víresse****in the Year 3316 of the Second Age:**

Daiki awoke to the sound of Abârôn's voice singing an old sailor's song from the galley.

"Adûnada Amatthâni,

HidubdamÛrî minalô

Mâbawîb azûlônâkhi

Zâira zirân sakulzâinad."

He got out of bed and left the cabin, smoothing his sleep rumpled tunic. The galley was filled with light from the open hatches above and Daiki squinted, turning his head to and fro, attempting to find the sun so he could see what time it was. He was interrupted by Abârôn whom was frying salt pork in a skillet over the stove.

"Did you sleep well? Sit down and I will get you a plate," he proceeded to place the meat on a wooden plate along with a raisin cake and set it on the table.

"Why did you not wake me?" Daiki had found the sun and it was nearly midday. He should have been up long ago to help Lord Azruzôr steer the ship and Abârôn should have been sleeping after a long night of the same.

"You will see when you go up," Abârôn's voice was dark and Daiki was filled with foreboding. He went to the nearest ladder, intending to see what his master was on about but Abârôn called him back.

"Not now boy! You can go up after you have eaten. I noticed you did not have any soup last night. You are thin enough as it is. Sit," He gestured to a chair, "and break your fast."

Daiki sat, wanting to go topsides but knowing better that to argue with Abârôn when he was in this sort of temper. He ate fast and drank from the water barrel until Abârôn was satisfied. When he finally emerged from below he was astonished to see that both the fore and aft sails were reefed but the wind was light—far lighter than it had been the day before.

Why then were the sails furled as if in high wind?

He looked about and his stomach clenched. The Azrukarbu was surrounded by islands off both her port and starboard sides and all beyond that was shrouded in fog. Daiki peered over the gunwales and saw that the water was deep but with so many islands there were surely hidden reefs about. The strangest thing was that the ship seemed to be moving swiftly through the water, much faster than should be possible with the weak wind and the sails trimmed so.

He made his way aft to the tiller where LordAmânzîr and his LordAzruzôr were standing. LordAzruzôr was shirtless once more and he leaned causally against the tiller but his eyes that looked at the islands were uncharacteristically worried. LordAmânzîr was still wearing his dark blue tunic, standing erect, arms crossed. He gazed ahead into the fog, eyes inscrutable, face grim.

Daiki gave his lord a perfunctory bow and LordAmânzîr's face softened.

"How do you fare?" his lord asked.

"Well, Bârhên. How long have we been…?" he trailed off not knowing how to describe what was happening.

LordAmânzîr understood what he was trying to ask.

"Since daybreak, not long after the sun rose. We are caught in a strong current it seems and we have been unable to maneuver out of it."

LordAzruzôr snorted derisively.

"This is no current, Uncle. What current steers a ship carefully around islands, even against the wind? This," he pointed to the ocean "Is magic. Someone is leading us like a horse on a halter."

"Should we not drop anchor?" Daiki asked.

"We attempted that earlier but all it accomplished was to slow us down by a few knots." LordAzruzôr said sourly. Daiki supposed that it galled him to have his beloved ship out of his control.

"If the current keeps we should reach shore before nightfall," LordAmânzîr stated softly.

"Then we can but hope whomever is doing this does not intend to dash us to pieces against the rocks." LordAzruzôr replied darkly.

The ship's course altered slightly to avoid a large rock off the port side and the three Men silently stared into the fog.

* * *

**Dramatis Personae:**

**Amânzîr:** Amandil's name in Andunaic (over 400 years old in 3316)

**Azruzôr:** Amandil's sister's youngest child (204 years old 3316)

**Abârôn**: Amandil's manservant of 60 years (78 years old 3316)

**Daiki: **Amandil's manservant in training (22 years old in 3316)

**Nimruzîr: **Amandil's son, Elendil's name in Andunaic (190 years old in 3309)

**Nimrundur:**Amandil's great grandson's, Elendur's name in Andunaic (10 years old in 3309)

**Andûnaic Glossary: **

**Abârôn**: Fidelity, endurance

**Azrukarbu:** Sea Stallion

**Azruzôr:** Sea Flame

**Bârhên:** My Lord

**Abârôn's Song Translation (Literal):**

Westward towards [the] Land of Aman

(she) fell [the] Sun from [the] sky

With [the] wind from [the] east comes

[the] longing towards beloved shore-lands

**Abârôn's Song Translation (Poetic):**

Westward from the Land of Aman

The Sun, she fell from the sky

With the wind from the East comes

The longing for beloved shore-lands


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Salmar and Safety **

_It is said that Amandil set sail in a small ship at night, and steered first eastward, and then went about and passed into the west. And he took with him three servants, dear to his heart, and never again were they heard of by word or sign in this world, nor is there any tale or guess of their fate. _

_The Silmarillion__, __Akallabêth_

**6th ****of Víressë** **in the Year 3316 of the Second Age**

It was a little after noon when they emerged from the islands and the fog. At first Daiki did not understand what he was seeing for far ahead, instead of the horizon, it appeared as if the ocean became a wall that blocked out the sky. As they grew closer he craned his neck but could see naught but clouds that wreathed the great wall. He thought perhaps they had come to the end of the Earth and that this was the boundary that kept the water from spilling over the edge.

When he mentioned this, Lord Azruzôr laughed and said that the world was round like a ball and then spent some time cheerfully disparaging his tutors whom had failed to instruct him in such things. Lord Amânzîr informed him that the wall was truly a mountain range called the Pelóri that ran along the eastern shores of Amatthâni.

The mysterious current only grew swifter now that they were free of the islands. Midday came and passed with none of them feeling much like eating. Daiki ate the last of the pickled ginger because he did not know if he would ever get the chance to eat anything again. They were close enough to the shore that the mountains no longer looked like a wall and he could make out individual peaks among them.

They soon came to a strait between what must be Amatthâni and Tol Eressëa. Lord Amânzîr said that they were in the Bay of Eladamar. In the distance, Daiki could see where the mountain range turned inward and disappeared, continuing the other side, leaving a gap through which a river ran. He was surprised when the ship, that had been heading north, now veered west straight toward the mouth of the river.

The bay was curiously empty. It was a fair day even with the poor wind, should there not be Elves fishing in the waters or at least, gathering shellfish and sea lettuce along the shore? But the bay and the coast were deserted. This filled Daiki with dread and he realized that he had not thought they would make it this far. He though they would perish ere they reached the shore and, as their ship ran aground on the white sand beach, he was not sure what surprised him more: that they had made it this far or that they still had so far to go to complete their task.

"We'll never get her off the beach, not with her draft! She was never meant to land on shore," Lord Azruzôr lamented, surveying his ship with dismay.

"It is unlikely that we will need her to be moved off shore," Lord Amânzîr said quietly to his nephew, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Go put your tunic on, I wish to leave as soon as possible. There is likely to be a long walk ahead of us."

It was then that Daiki noticed a figure striding out of the water next to the ship and onto the shore. At first he thought it was a Man but as the figure turned to face then he thought it must be an Elf for he was the fairest being Daiki had ever seen. He was as tall as Lord Amânzîr's son Nimruzîr and his long silver hair had shells braided into it. His eyes were a queer color, the lightest of blues, like the ice on the mountains that never melts. He smiled and waved to them from the beach.

"Hail and well met! I am Salmar, servant of Ulmo and I bid you welcome to the shores of Valinor." His Andûnaic was as flawless as if he had been born and raised in Númenór but there was a strange lyrical quality to his voice, as if he was more used to signing than talking.

The strangest thing about him, Daiki noticed, was that although he had just walked out of the Sea he did not appear to be wet. Even the tunic he wore, which was iridescent like an abalone shell, was dry. He wore a belt made of strands of pearls that gleamed in the sunlight.

"Well met, Salmar. I am Amandil, son of Nûmendil, Lord of Andûnië. This is my nephew Ëarnár and my servant's Abârôn and Daiki.

"Go put on your good clothes," Abârôn say to him quietly.

Daiki hurried down the ladder and into his quarters and retrieved his fine black linen trousers and tunic. He went into the galley to change because he could see better there. He smoothed the soft tunic which had a high collar and a seven pointed star embroidered in silver on the right breast. It was the livery worn by Lord Amânzîr's estate servants. After double checking to make sure that his belt was properly done, Daiki went back up the ladder.

Because the ship was run aground there was some difficulty disembarking. Daiki had to scramble down the portside of the ship scraping his hands on barnacles as he did so. Lord Azruzôr muttered to himself as he climbed down onto the beach, stroking the ship gently with his hand.

"She'll need a new coat of paint, no doubt the sand has striped a good measure off…" he continued his voice so low as to be barely heard.

"Forgive me, I did not intend to damage your ship," Salmar said to Lord Azruzôr who looked much aggrieved.

"So you are the one responsible for this?

"It was necessary. You could not have passed the islands without me assistance."

"We are very grateful," Lord Amânzîr said firmly, giving his nephew a quelling glance.

Salmar nodded. "Come, there is a road through the Calacirya that runs parallel to the river," he pointed to the rift in the mountain through which a large green hill could be seen. "I will lead you to Tirion."

"We are in your debt, my lord," Lord Amânzîr replied gazing at the hill upon which white towers could be seen even at this distance. "Lead on."

So they set off across the white sand of the beach toward the river.

* * *

**Dramatis Personae:**

**Amânzîr:** Amandil's name in Andunaic (over 400 years old in 3316)

**Azruzôr:** Amandil's sister's youngest child (204 years old 3316)

**Abârôn**: Amandil's manservant of 60 years (78 years old 3316)

**Daiki: **Amandil's manservant in training (22 years old in 3316)

**Nimruzîr: **Amandil's son, Elendil's name in Andunaic (197 years old in 3316)

**Glossary: **

**Amatthâni:** Land of Aman (Andûnaic)

**Ëarnár: **Azruzôr's name in Quenya. The nobles of Númenór often had Quenya names in addition to their Andûnaic name, e.g. Amandil


End file.
